Photos: Nation’s aging bridges

One of the historic bridges of Philadelphia extends Bells Mills Road over the Wissahickon Creek. Many bridges in the area are in need of repair or replacement. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 4, 2013 12:33 AM PT

The nation’s roads and bridges are in an increasingly dire state of disrepair.

The Erie Avenue bridge in north Philadelphia, between 3rd and 5th Streets. Many bridges in the Philadelphia area are in need of replacement or repair. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Stewart Kupfer has lived in the Lower Salford area outside Philadelphia for five years. He likes the historic bridges of the area and says they are worth repairing. Here he walks along one of the old bridges over the east branch of Perkiomen Creek in Lower Salford. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

A historic photo of Roberts Road Bridge in Lower Salford, Pa., near Philadelphia. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The Erie Avenue bridge in north Philadelphia, between 3rd and 5th Streets, shows signs of wear. Many bridges in the area are in need of repair or replacement. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The Erie Avenue bridge in north Philadelphia, between 3rd and 5th Streets. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

David Wisler walks across a closed bridge near his home on Bergeys Mill Road in Schwenksville, near Philadelphia. Many bridges in the Philadelphia area are in need of repair. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The Riverside Drive bridge, which crosses the L.A. River and Avenue 19, is photographed from Avenue 19 in Los Angeles. The bridge was built in 1939 and is used by 17,000 cars daily. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)